Citrus research team wins grant for greening

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. (AP) - The Florida Citrus Research and Development Foundation has received a $200,000 grant to help solve the problem of greening in the state's citrus crop.

Bayer CropScience awarded the foundation the three-year grant on Monday during the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association's annual meeting.

Citrus greening is a bacterial disease that can weaken a tree's productivity. By some estimates, it has cost Florida upwards of $3.6 billion in lost orange juice production and jobs. The Citrus Research and Development Foundation is a non-profit corporation based in Lake Alfred that's part of the University of Florida.

Experts say the citrus industry directly and indirectly contributes some 76,000 jobs in Florida and is a $9 billion industry.